Warmer waters at island fish farm

New technology has been introduced to the farm near Beaumaris on Anglesey to increase the numbers of fish.

It works by using the heat generated by the fish swimming to raise the temperature of the water.

It is hoped around 1,000 tonnes of sea bass will be produced every year, with the first batch available in October.

Bluewater Flatfish Farm is owned by Greek company Selonda and was established on Anglesey in 2002.

The sea bass fishery is an extension to a turbot fishery already on the same site.

"What we want to highlight is that this is a local product"
Phil Gatland, managing director

Managing director Phil Gatland said two processes were used to heat the tanks housing the fish.

One was the recycling of water from the tanks - where it was cleaned and any heat retained - and the other a biological process which converted ammonia produced by the fish into heat.

Initially it will take several weeks to rise, but the water temperature will eventually be a constant 20-22C in the tanks, he said.

"The new (sea bass) farm has much bigger tanks than the turbot fishery," said Mr Gatland.

Imported

"This farm is quite big, one of the largest in the world, I would think," Mr Gatland added.

Fifteen people are currently employed at the farm, but that should rise to 30 when full production is reached.

"What we are very interested in, and what we want to highlight, is that this is a local product," said Mr Gatland.

"At the moment sea bass is imported, mostly from Greece, which involves a lot of air miles.

"The whole point here is to supply the local market in the UK," he added.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Selonda UK
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites